diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/util/LinkedTransferQueue.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/util/LinkedTransferQueue.java
index 2ea7970501..ae410b9acb 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/util/LinkedTransferQueue.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/util/LinkedTransferQueue.java
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReferenceFieldUpdater;
 import java.util.concurrent.locks.LockSupport;
 
 /**
- * An unbounded {@linkplain BlockingQueue} based on linked nodes.
+ * An unbounded <tt>TransferQueue</tt> based on linked nodes.
  * This queue orders elements FIFO (first-in-first-out) with respect
  * to any given producer.  The <em>head</em> of the queue is that
  * element that has been on the queue the longest time for some
@@ -58,9 +58,10 @@ import java.util.concurrent.locks.LockSupport;
  *
  * <p>Memory consistency effects: As with other concurrent
  * collections, actions in a thread prior to placing an object into a
- * {@code LinkedTransferQueue} <i>happen-before</i> actions subsequent
- * to the access or removal of that element from the
- * {@code LinkedTransferQueue} in another thread.
+ * {@code LinkedTransferQueue}
+ * <a href="package-summary.html#MemoryVisibility"><i>happen-before</i></a>
+ * actions subsequent to the access or removal of that element from
+ * the {@code LinkedTransferQueue} in another thread.
  *
  * @author Doug Lea
  * @author The Netty Project (netty-dev@lists.jboss.org)
@@ -72,19 +73,19 @@ import java.util.concurrent.locks.LockSupport;
 public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements BlockingQueue<E> {
 
     /*
-     * This is still a work in progress...
-     *
      * This class extends the approach used in FIFO-mode
      * SynchronousQueues. See the internal documentation, as well as
      * the PPoPP 2006 paper "Scalable Synchronous Queues" by Scherer,
      * Lea & Scott
      * (http://www.cs.rice.edu/~wns1/papers/2006-PPoPP-SQ.pdf)
      *
-     * The main extension is to provide different Wait modes
-     * for the main "xfer" method that puts or takes items.
-     * These do not impact the basic dual-queue logic, but instead
-     * control whether or how threads block upon insertion
-     * of request or data nodes into the dual queue.
+     * The main extension is to provide different Wait modes for the
+     * main "xfer" method that puts or takes items.  These don't
+     * impact the basic dual-queue logic, but instead control whether
+     * or how threads block upon insertion of request or data nodes
+     * into the dual queue. It also uses slightly different
+     * conventions for tracking whether nodes are off-list or
+     * cancelled.
      */
 
     // Wait modes for xfer method
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
     /**
      * The number of times to spin before blocking in untimed waits.
      * This is greater than timed value because untimed waits spin
-     * faster since they do not need to check times on each spin.
+     * faster since they don't need to check times on each spin.
      */
     private static final int maxUntimedSpins = maxTimedSpins * 16;
 
@@ -118,19 +119,18 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
     private static final long spinForTimeoutThreshold = 1000L;
 
     /**
-     * Node class for LinkedTransferQueue. Opportunistically subclasses from
-     * AtomicReference to represent item. Uses Object, not E, to allow
-     * setting item to "this" after use, to avoid garbage
-     * retention. Similarly, setting the next field to this is used as
-     * sentinel that node is off list.
+     * Node class for LinkedTransferQueue. Opportunistically
+     * subclasses from AtomicReference to represent item. Uses Object,
+     * not E, to allow setting item to "this" after use, to avoid
+     * garbage retention. Similarly, setting the next field to this is
+     * used as sentinel that node is off list.
      */
     private static final class QNode extends AtomicReference<Object> {
         private static final long serialVersionUID = 5925596372370723938L;
 
         volatile QNode next;
-        transient volatile Thread waiter;       // to control park/unpark
+        volatile Thread waiter;       // to control park/unpark
         final boolean isData;
-
         QNode(Object item, boolean isData) {
             super(item);
             this.isData = isData;
@@ -185,7 +185,8 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
 
     /**
      * Puts or takes an item. Used for most queue operations (except
-     * poll() and tryTransfer())
+     * poll() and tryTransfer()). See the similar code in
+     * SynchronousQueue for detailed explanation.
      * @param e the item or if null, signifies that this is a take
      * @param mode the wait mode: NOWAIT, TIMEOUT, WAIT
      * @param nanos timeout in nanosecs, used only if mode is TIMEOUT
@@ -194,8 +195,8 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
     private Object xfer(Object e, int mode, long nanos) {
         boolean isData = e != null;
         QNode s = null;
-        final AtomicReference<QNode> head = this.head;
-        final AtomicReference<QNode> tail = this.tail;
+        final PaddedAtomicReference<QNode> head = this.head;
+        final PaddedAtomicReference<QNode> tail = this.tail;
 
         for (;;) {
             QNode t = tail.get();
@@ -238,8 +239,8 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
      */
     private Object fulfill(Object e) {
         boolean isData = e != null;
-        final AtomicReference<QNode> head = this.head;
-        final AtomicReference<QNode> tail = this.tail;
+        final PaddedAtomicReference<QNode> head = this.head;
+        final PaddedAtomicReference<QNode> tail = this.tail;
 
         for (;;) {
             QNode t = tail.get();
@@ -297,13 +298,17 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
             Object x = s.get();
             if (x != e) {                 // Node was matched or cancelled
                 advanceHead(pred, s);     // unlink if head
-                if (x == s) {
-                    return clean(pred, s);
+                if (x == s) {              // was cancelled
+                    clean(pred, s);
+                    return null;
+                }
+                else if (x != null) {
+                    s.set(s);             // avoid garbage retention
+                    return x;
+                } else {
+                    return e;
                 }
-                s.set(s);                 // mark as off-list
-                return x != null? x : e;
             }
-
             if (mode == TIMEOUT) {
                 long now = System.nanoTime();
                 nanos -= now - lastTime;
@@ -339,10 +344,34 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
     }
 
     /**
-     * Gets rid of cancelled node s with original predecessor pred.
-     * @return null (to simplify use by callers)
+     * Returns validated tail for use in cleaning methods
      */
-    Object clean(final QNode pred, final QNode s) {
+    private QNode getValidatedTail() {
+        for (;;) {
+            QNode h = head.get();
+            QNode first = h.next;
+            if (first != null && first.next == first) { // help advance
+                advanceHead(h, first);
+                continue;
+            }
+            QNode t = tail.get();
+            QNode last = t.next;
+            if (t == tail.get()) {
+                if (last != null) {
+                    tail.compareAndSet(t, last); // help advance
+                } else {
+                    return t;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Gets rid of cancelled node s with original predecessor pred.
+     * @param pred predecessor of cancelled node
+     * @param s the cancelled node
+     */
+    void clean(QNode pred, QNode s) {
         Thread w = s.waiter;
         if (w != null) {             // Wake up thread
             s.waiter = null;
@@ -350,59 +379,69 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
                 LockSupport.unpark(w);
             }
         }
-
-        for (;;) {
-            if (pred.next != s) {
-                return null;
-            }
-            QNode h = head.get();
-            QNode hn = h.next;   // Absorb cancelled first node as head
-            if (hn != null && hn.next == hn) {
-                advanceHead(h, hn);
-                continue;
-            }
-            QNode t = tail.get();      // Ensure consistent read for tail
-            if (t == h) {
-                return null;
-            }
-            QNode tn = t.next;
-            if (t != tail.get()) {
-                continue;
-            }
-            if (tn != null) {          // Help advance tail
-                tail.compareAndSet(t, tn);
-                continue;
-            }
-            if (s != t) {             // If not tail, try to unsplice
-                QNode sn = s.next;
+        /*
+         * At any given time, exactly one node on list cannot be
+         * deleted -- the last inserted node. To accommodate this, if
+         * we cannot delete s, we save its predecessor as "cleanMe",
+         * processing the previously saved version first. At least one
+         * of node s or the node previously saved can always be
+         * processed, so this always terminates.
+         */
+        while (pred.next == s) {
+            QNode oldpred = reclean();  // First, help get rid of cleanMe
+            QNode t = getValidatedTail();
+            if (s != t) {               // If not tail, try to unsplice
+                QNode sn = s.next;      // s.next == s means s already off list
                 if (sn == s || pred.casNext(s, sn)) {
-                    return null;
+                    break;
                 }
             }
-
-            QNode dp = cleanMe.get();
-            if (dp != null) {    // Try unlinking previous cancelled node
-                QNode d = dp.next;
-                QNode dn;
-                if (d == null ||               // d is gone or
-                    d == dp ||                 // d is off list or
-                    d.get() != d ||            // d not cancelled or
-                    d != t &&                  // d not tail and
-                    (dn = d.next) != null &&   //   has successor
-                     dn != d &&                //   that is on list
-                     dp.casNext(d, dn)) {
-                    cleanMe.compareAndSet(dp, null);
-                }
-                if (dp == pred) {
-                    return null;      // s is already saved node
-                }
-            }
-            else if (cleanMe.compareAndSet(null, pred)) {
-                return null;          // Postpone cleaning s
+            else if (oldpred == pred || // Already saved
+                     oldpred == null && cleanMe.compareAndSet(null, pred)) {
+                break;                  // Postpone cleaning
             }
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Tries to unsplice the cancelled node held in cleanMe that was
+     * previously uncleanable because it was at tail.
+     * @return current cleanMe node (or null)
+     */
+    private QNode reclean() {
+        /*
+         * cleanMe is, or at one time was, predecessor of cancelled
+         * node s that was the tail so could not be unspliced.  If s
+         * is no longer the tail, try to unsplice if necessary and
+         * make cleanMe slot available.  This differs from similar
+         * code in clean() because we must check that pred still
+         * points to a cancelled node that must be unspliced -- if
+         * not, we can (must) clear cleanMe without unsplicing.
+         * This can loop only due to contention on casNext or
+         * clearing cleanMe.
+         */
+        QNode pred;
+        while ((pred = cleanMe.get()) != null) {
+            QNode t = getValidatedTail();
+            QNode s = pred.next;
+            if (s != t) {
+                QNode sn;
+                if (s == null || s == pred || s.get() != s ||
+                    (sn = s.next) == s || pred.casNext(s, sn)) {
+                    cleanMe.compareAndSet(pred, null);
+                }
+            } else {
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        return pred;
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    E cast(Object e) {
+        return (E)e;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Creates an initially empty <tt>LinkedTransferQueue</tt>.
      */
@@ -496,11 +535,6 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
         throw new InterruptedException();
     }
 
-    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-    E cast(Object e) {
-        return (E) e;
-    }
-
     public E poll(long timeout, TimeUnit unit) throws InterruptedException {
         Object e = xfer(null, TIMEOUT, unit.toNanos(timeout));
         if (e != null || !Thread.interrupted()) {
@@ -575,7 +609,6 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
         }
     }
 
-
     @Override
     public Iterator<E> iterator() {
         return new Itr();
@@ -588,18 +621,18 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
      * so that the next call to next() will return it even
      * if subsequently removed.
      */
-    private class Itr implements Iterator<E> {
-        private QNode nextNode;    // Next node to return next
-        private QNode currentNode; // last returned node, for remove()
-        private QNode prevNode;    // predecessor of last returned node
-        private E nextItem;        // Cache of next item, once commited to in next
+    class Itr implements Iterator<E> {
+        QNode nextNode;    // Next node to return next
+        QNode currentNode; // last returned node, for remove()
+        QNode prevNode;    // predecessor of last returned node
+        E nextItem;        // Cache of next item, once commited to in next
 
         Itr() {
             nextNode = traversalHead();
             advance();
         }
 
-        private E advance() {
+        E advance() {
             prevNode = currentNode;
             currentNode = nextNode;
             E x = nextItem;
@@ -742,4 +775,4 @@ public class LinkedTransferQueue<E> extends AbstractQueue<E> implements Blocking
     public int remainingCapacity() {
         return Integer.MAX_VALUE;
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}